Disguised Intentions
by bookaddict27
Summary: Arthur slays a dangerous beast, and Merlin does not approve. When the said dangerous beast is restored to life, it soon becomes obvious that it is actually an adorable puppy. Nevertheless, the puppy is not all that he seems.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** The beginning of this first chapter is based a bit on The Labyrinth of Gedref, in a parody sort of way, although the story quickly leaves that path. Very, very quickly. I make fun of quite a lot in this story, but I love Merlin, so it's all good. It's all in good fun =]. One other thing, at the moment this stands as one-shot, but depending on the reception, I might continue it. So anyway, read on if you have a slightly odd sense of humor.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Merlin. Or Harry Potter. Or Doctor Who. Or Lord of the Rings. Or Firefly. Or anything awesome. (Granted, I've only written fanfiction for the first two, but I just thought it was worth mentioning that I don't own any of the others either.)

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><p>Arthur examined the dead puppy that lay at his feet, an arrow protruding from its side. He smiled; it would make a good trophy. Few people had the skill necessary to kill such a dangerous creature. Its head would look good mounted on a wall of the castle. His father would be proud.<p>

As Arthur continued to study the corpse, he heard the sound of footsteps traveling through the forest toward him. The footsteps were heavy and uneven, occasionally punctuated by the sound of a falling body and a muted curse. There was only one person to whom such footsteps could belong. Merlin.

Seconds later, Merlin came crashing through the undergrowth, breaking into the clearing where Arthur stood. "Are you okay?" he yelled. "I heard a crash and…" He slowed clumsily to a halt, his eyes widening as he took in the sight before him. "What have you done?" said Merlin dramatically as he stared at the corpse. "What have you done?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Quit being such a girl Merlin. It's a puppy. Everyone knows puppies are dangerous creatures."

"You have upset the balance of nature," said Merlin, his eyes flashing black for a moment because it was simply cooler than having them turn golden.

"Don't be an idiot," Arthur said. "That's a bunch of superstitious nonsense."

"There is no such thing as superstition," said Merlin. "Only intelligence. That's something you would not be familiar with, seeing as you are a supercilious prat."

"I am not prat. You're just an imbecile." Arthur sniffed. The air reeked of judgment. Merlin's judgment. It reminded Arthur of other reeking smells, but that was another matter.

"So you admit it!" said Merlin triumphantly. "You _are _supercilious!"

"What? No, I'm not!"

"Well, you didn't deny it before," said Merlin. "So that means you are."

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too."

They continued debating in this manner for a few minutes because, at times, both Arthur and Merlin had the emotionally maturity of five year olds. Except when it came to sex. Then, they were very, very mature. At least, they were very mature according to the people who wrote sexually explicit fanfiction about them. It was fanfiction that both Arthur and Merlin would be disturbed to discover, regardless of whether or not it was based in fact.

Eventually, the debate ended in mutual silence and shared glares between Merlin and Arthur.

"Prat."

"Idiot."

Silence resounded again.

"Still," said Merlin, unable to deal with the silence, "how could you kill a puppy?"

"I told you, _Merlin,_" said Arthur angrily. "Puppies are dangerous creatures. Almost as dangerous as unicorns!"

"…Puppies?" came Merlin's reply, his voice tainted with exasperation. "_Puppies?_" A moment later, he said, "Wait, unicorns?"

"Yes, puppies," said Arthur, ignoring Merlin's last statement. He tended to ignore things that Merlin said whenever it suited him. Arthur paused for a moment before continuing, "Now that that has been cleared up, and the forest has been rid of dangerous beasts, I'm going back to the castle. I suggest you follow unless you'd rather stay and mourn the puppy, Merlin."

"Yes, I'm coming. Wait, what's that?" said Merlin, pointing to something behind Arthur.

"What's what?" said Arthur before turning around and being conveniently hit over the head by a falling branch. Merlin's eyes had not flashed gold because he had not caused it to occur. No, the falling branch was simply an extraordinary coincidence, a sort of extraordinary coincidence that was an everyday occurrence in Camelot.

Arthur's eyes went glassy as he passed out, stunned by the blow to his head. Merlin glanced at him, but did not worry for a moment. Arthur would be fine; he always was. There was no need to worry about who had caused the branch to fall either because it was simply a coincidence. Anyway, Arthur's return to his natural state of unconsciousness would give Merlin just the opportunity he needed!

Without a moment's thought, Merlin ran over to the puppy that lay on the ground, arrow still protruding from its side. Arthur would be expecting Merlin to carry the corpse back to the castle, of course. Unless… Merlin thought for a moment, and then his eyes flashed gold.

Suddenly, there was a bark. Merlin glanced down to see a small, spinning ball of white fluff. It took him a moment to realize that it was a puppy and not just a small, spinning ball of white fluff. He smiled a bit when he made the connection after a minute or so of deep thought. Merlin was feeling particularly dense that day.

The puppy's white fur was no longer stained by red, and the arrow had magically disappeared from its side. In this case, "magically" was the correct term and was a fair bit more than just a figure of speech.

Merlin had said earlier that Arthur had thrown off the balance of nature by killing the puppy. That was not entirely true. No, if anything, Merlin had thrown off the balance of nature by restoring the puppy to life. It was not a problem, however. Somewhere in distant lands, a butterfly had just died. Of course, this could have some consequences because of the butterfly effect, but that was unimportant. The balance of nature had been restored.

"What's your name?" asked Merlin.

"Bark," said the puppy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," said Merlin.

"Roof," said the puppy.

Merlin nodded. "Okay, I'll just call you Fred."

Fred barked in confirmation, wagging his tail in a fit of glee.

Just then, Arthur began to regain consciousness. "What happened?" he asked, his voice slurred. Suddenly, he caught side of the puppy, and his eyes widened. "What?" He quickly stood up, still somewhat unsteady after being hit on the head with a giant branch.

"This is Fred," said Merlin calmly.

"But… but…" Arthur stuttered. "I shot him…With an arrow…I shot him with an arrow."

"What are you talking about?" said Merlin, feigning surprise. "No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did!" said Arthur. "I killed it! Puppies are dangerous!"

"Your memory must have been addled by that branch hitting your head."

"My memory is not addled, _Merlin._ It is perfectly intact."

"Well, of course you'd think that," started Merlin. "If your memory was addled, you wouldn't be aware of it. But obviously, your memory is not intact. You think you killed Fred. And Fred is very clearly still alive."

Arthur looked at Merlin for a moment. "I shot him."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did."

Another glaring match took place between the two of them, quite similar to the one they had experienced earlier. The longer it lasted, however, the more Arthur began to doubt himself. Maybe he hadn't shot the puppy. He _had_ been hit in the head. After all, the puppy was still alive. The only other explanation was magic and… no, definitely not.

"So I didn't shoot the puppy?" Arthur said, his voice raised in question.

"No, sire."

"Oh, okay then." That settled it. Merlin couldn't lie to save his life. Arthur's memory had obviously been damaged.

After a short silence, Merlin asked, "Can I keep him?"

"Keep him?" asked Arthur.

"Yes, the puppy," said Merlin. "Can I keep the puppy? Fred?"

"What? Why should I care?" Arthur said.

"Merlin blinked. Arthur had a point. "Okay, I'm keeping him."

"You do that," said Arthur. After a moment, he was struck by a sudden thought. "Wait a minute," Arthur said. "Aren't puppies dangerous?"

"No, sire, of course not. That must be another result of your addled memory."

"Oh, I see," said Arthur. It made sense. Complete and total sense.

And so Merlin and Arthur headed back to the castle, while Fred the fluffy, white ball of fur spun in circles and nipped at Merlin's heels. Little did they know, Fred's eyes were red.

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><p><strong>AN:** So what did you think? Should I leave this as it is, or do you want me to continue? I love reviews, so… -hint, hint-. On a somewhat random note, I would like to mention that I was going to end it with the red eyes before I even thought of the possibility of continuing because of my slightly warped sense of humor. So… Review?


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Yes, I decided to continue this story. It's fun to write, and if people find it funny, then who am I to refuse? Anyway, my life is a bit of an insane mess right now, so I can't promise a regular schedule of updates, but I'll try to do the best I can. I'm hoping to post one chapter a week. Oh, and one other comment, I changed the name of the story since I decided to continue it, and the old title didn't really work for the entire story, so hopefully no one is too confused. So now, on with the story! Well, after my disclaimer. I enjoy writing disclaimers. Does that make me weird?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Merlin. I wish I owned Merlin, but that's my life for you. Anyway, if you mistake this story for the actual writing for Merlin, than you have a very low IQ. Oh god, I just insulted my readers. Don't hate me, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it! Although actually, as long as you don't mistake me for a writer for Merlin, then I did not insult you. So yay!

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><p>It only took a moment for Arthur to decide to return to the castle. After the damage to part of his memory, he did not want to hunt any more. All he wanted to do was return to Camelot and check that the rest of his memory was intact. Of course, since his memory had never been damaged in the first place, it was still perfectly fine. This fact was unknown to Arthur, however, so he was still somewhat worried.<p>

They traipsed through the trees, Arthur quietly and Merlin not so much as he crashed through the undergrowth. It was a rather noneventful journey. If Merlin tripped a little more than he normally did, well, that was hardly unusual. It could have nothing to do with the puppy spinning at his feet. No, the puppy was entirely innocent as puppies always are. Soon enough, they arrived back at the castle. The return trip had been completely without incident.

"Merlin, you have to mend my clothes and polish my armor and clean out the stables," said Arthur, reciting the jobs that Merlin has to do all the time, even though Merlin should know the list by now. Apparently, Merlin had the memory of a goldfish or possibly significantly less.

"I can't, sire," said Merlin. "I have to set up my chambers for Fred. I've never had a puppy before, and I don't exactly have anywhere for him to stay. I need to get him food and water and toys and a place to sleep and—"

"Merlin," Arthur interrupted, "who gives the orders around here?"

"You do?" Merlin said cheerfully.

"Yes, that's right," said Arthur. "I do. Now go do your chores."

"All right," said Merlin, "but first I'm going to set up my room for Fred." He quickly picked up Fred in his arms and ran off before Arthur had a chance to do anything except look at him.

Arthur shook his head before yelling after him, "You're a useless servant!"

"At least I'm not a clotpole!" Merlin yelled over his shoulder before tripping over empty space. "I'm fine, I'm fine!"

Arthur shook his head again, marveling at his servant's inability to walk. "Idiot," he muttered.

"Bark!" went Fred from a distance, his yap carrying through the air in the way that only a terrier's bark could.

Arthur shook his head for what seemed to be the millionth time. "What would it take to get a decent servant around here?" he muttered, before turning back toward the castle. "He had better be back soon."

It was then that Arthur remembered that, having returned from his hunting trip, he needed to check in with his father. Normally Merlin would be standing behind him, but obviously that would not be the case this time. How could he almost have forgotten such an important thing? Perhaps it was another result of his damaged memory.

Arthur walked quickly to the throne room. As he walked through the city, his posture changed subtly. He held his head high in an arrogant fashion, or, Arthur would argue, an honorable fashion. He was behaving in a way worthy of his status and knighthood. But still, if Merlin were there, honorable would not be the word to leave his tongue. Definitely not. On the other hand, Merlin was not there, because he was too busy taking care of Fred, so what did it matter what he would say? Arthur certainly did not care, not in the slightest.

As Arthur walked through the castle, the world around him steadily changed. It changed because he was entering new hallways, which were of course different from the ones previous. His feet tapped on the floor as he walked. He was no longer mumbling to himself about his idiot servant because he was a prince, and he was going to look like a prince.

Arriving at the throne room, Arthur nodded to the guards who promptly stepped to the side and opened the doors to admit him. It was an awful lot like Arthur had said, "Yo, I'm the prince. Let me in homedogs," except that he hadn't said that at all. He hadn't said anything. The guards simply let him in.

Arthur walked in to see his father sitting on the throne as usual. Arthur respectfully nodded to him.

"What do you have to report?" Uther said.

"I don't have anything to show from this hunting trip," Arthur began. "I was hit on the head with a branch, and my memory was jolted. I thought it was best that I return to Camelot."

"Your memory was jolted?" said Uther.

"I have a few blank spots in my memory," Arthur said. "It's nothing too serious, just a few moments that I can't remember from a short while before I was hit on the head." Arthur had already decided that it was a good idea not to mention that he had imagined he had killed a puppy. He did not know how his father would react to the idea that Arthur had had visions. That was too close to sorcery for Arthur's liking.

"Have you seen Gaius yet?" Uther asked.

"No," said Arthur, "I thought it was best that I checked in with you first."

"You did well. I think it's best, however, that you check in with Gaius now. We don't want any permanent effects on your memory. I don't know what I would do if my sole son and heir was to develop some sort of mental affliction like your idiot servant boy has."

From a spot beside the throne, a scowl broke out on Morgana's face. Sole heir, indeed. After a moment, however, she quickly smoothed her face back into a graceful expression. No one noticed the lapse in her control because they were all apparently blind.

"Trust me," said Arthur. "You have nothing to worry about me becoming like Merlin."

"I should hope not," said Uther. "That would be a horrible thing indeed.

Arthur gave a slight bow before turning to leave the room. The guards parted in front of him once more, as if he had again said, "Yo, I'm the prince," but still, he had said nothing. Arthur walked quickly through the hallways. He began heading in the direction of his chambers, before he suddenly remembered his father's order to go see Gaius. Arthur had to admit that it was a good idea. He had been hit in the head after all. Of course, Merlin would argue that the hit to the head could hardly have injured him because he was so hardheaded and all. But again, Merlin wasn't there, was he?

Arthur swiftly changed his direction and began to walk toward the residence of the court physician. If Merlin was still there, setting things up for Fred… Well, Arthur could not be responsible for whatever he did. He did not know what he would do.

Arthur knocked on the door, and heard Gaius yell, "Come in!" As crown prince, Arthur did not really need to knock, but he preferred to do it out of politeness. Arthur was hardly polite, but every so often he would do something small that he thought compensated for the infinite pit of his rudeness.

He opened the door and was met by the usual sight of bottles and potions covering the table as well as filling the shelves throughout the room. There was also a variety of books lying spread out on the table. Gaius was sitting at the table and seemed to be researching something, although what exactly he was researching, Arthur could not be sure.

Suddenly, Arthur heard a yap, and a small white fluff of fur came bounding toward him.

"FRED!" Merlin yelled, running after the dog. "Don't jump on—Oh, hello, sire." A look of surprise came on his face, followed by a slight expression of fear.

"Merlin! What are you still doing here?" Arthur said angrily. "I told you to get straight back to work! I didn't even give you leave to set up your puppy in the first place. The least you could do is get to back to work in a timely manner."

"Err… I am working," said Merlin haltingly. "I'm working on… err… your mending. I'm working on your mending!"

"No, you're not, Merlin," said Arthur. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

"Umm… yes?" said Merlin.

"Then you are an even greater idiot than even I took you for," said Arthur, "and that is saying a lot."

"I'm really working on it, though!" said Merlin defensively.

"You are?" asked Arthur. "Show it to me then."

"Okay," said Merlin. "It will just be a moment." He quickly walked away and disappeared into another room.

A moment later, Merlin returned. "See! I told you, I was working on your mending!" he said, holding up one of Arthur's shirts.

Arthur looked at him for a moment. "Well, I guess you at least did something," he said. "Although I still suspect you've been paying more attention to the puppy than my mending. Get back to work!"

"Yes, sire," said Merlin with a grin. Little did Arthur know, Merlin only had the shirt because he had forgotten it in his room the last time that he had done Arthur's mending. Arthur had too many clothes. He couldn't even tell when something was missing.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Arthur.

"Well, I have to go get more clothes to mend," started Merlin, "but I really don't want to leave Fred alone."

"Oh for God's sake, Merlin," said Arthur, "he'll hardly be alone. Gaius and I will be here. Anyway, he's a _dog_. He can survive."

"I guess you're right," said Merlin nervously. Well, I'll just go get more of your clothes then. Don't leave him here alone, though. What are you doing here anyway?"

"I got hit on the head with a branch, remember? God Merlin, even your memory is useless. And you weren't even hit on the head."

"Oh, yes, that," said Merlin. "Well, I'll just be going then." He ran out the door, not looking back behind him.

Once Merlin had left, Gaius turned to Arthur. "You were hit on the head with a branch?" he asked.

"Yes," said Arthur. "It was while I was out hunting with Merlin. It knocked me out for a while. I thought it would be best if you made sure there wasn't any damage."

"Oh I see," said Gauis. "You were right to come and have it checked. Have there been any side effects?"

"Only one," said Arthur. "My memory was a little jogged."

"Okay," said Gaius. "Well, come sit over here, and I'll check you for a concussion."

Arthur walked over and sat on a stool. Gaius quickly shined a light in his eyes. "No, sire, you don't have a concussion. You appear to be fine. Can you just explain to me what exactly you mean by your memory being 'jogged'?"

"Well," Arthur began, "you can't tell my father. I just told him that I had a few gaps in my memory. I didn't want him to worry more than he had to or blame it on sorcery when that could cause harm to innocent people. Really, though, I noticed some more noticeable discrepancies. After I got hit on the head, I woke up, and thought that I had shot and killed that puppy," he said, pointing at Fred. "The puppy was perfectly fine when I regained consciousness, however, so I don't know where that memory came from. It seemed so real, but Merlin said that it never happened, and we all know that he is an awful liar."

Here Gaius began coughing, and Arthur looked over at the physician to see a slightly dazed look on his face. "Gaius?" Arthur said.

"Yes," said Gaius, clearing his throat and shaking his head to clear it, "you are quite right."

"Is something wrong?" asked Arthur.

"No, everything is fine," said Gaius. What he was really thinking was a slightly different matter, however. His thoughts more accurately followed the path of 'Stupid Merlin, how could he be so careless. I know this is his doing. He always had a weakness for puppies.. and kittens… and unicorns… and dragons.' All he said, however, was, "There is no sign of injury, but even a strike to the head with no other negative effects can cause a slight jog to the memory. It's nothing to worry about."

"Thank you, Gaius," said Arhtur, standing up. "Well, I had better go find Merlin and make sure he's actually doing what I told him to. You know how he is."

"Yes, I would say I do," said Gaius.

With a goodbye to Gaius, Arthur walked out the door to go find Merlin. He did not see the puppy staring after him, its eyes glinting evilly, glowing red in the room's lighting that held not the faintest tint of red.

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><p><strong>AN:** So what did you think? Reviews are loved as usual =].


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** This is a relatively long chapter compared to the others in this story so far. They seem to be consistently getting longer haha. I already have chapter 4 written, but I think that I'm going to try to wait a week or so to post it so that I can build up a few other chapters. Although, I'll probably cave and post it sooner than that because I have very little patience. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Merlin. I just realized, however, that I do own Fred. That's got to count for something, right? No? Well, I still think Fred is pretty awesome. Speaking of Fred, there is a lot more of him in this chapter. He also kind of reminds me of my miniature schnauzer. Except that she isn't evil. In fact, her name is Angel. Irony right there. Oh god, this was supposed to be a disclaimer wasn't it? Yes, I don't own Merlin.

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><p>Arthur walked into his chambers and was greeted by a sight not much different than when he had left to go hunting. The only change was that now his pack and a pile of unmended clothes were lying in the middle of the floor. "Merlin!" Arthur yelled.<p>

"Yes, what sire?" asked Merlin, popping out from behind a screen.

"You were supposed to be doing something!" said Arthur. "By this point, I don't care what you do. Unpack, mend my clothes, polish my armor, do anything you like. Just do something!"

"I was just mending!" said Merlin. "You saw the shirt."

"Yes, Merlin, I saw the shirt," said Arthur slowly. "I saw the _one _shirt. That hardly classifies as a full day's work, however."

"I'm working on it!" said Merlin, turning his back and approaching the pile of clothes. "Prat," he added under his breath.

"Really, Merlin, do you think I'm deaf?" asked Arthur. "I can hear you, you know. And can't you come up with a new insult every once in awhile? I mean, I understand that you're inept, but even you should have the slightest bit of creativity. I've heard children give better insults."

"My insults are better than yours," Merlin replied. "Much better."

"No, they're not," said Arthur.

"Yes they are,"

"No, they're— no Merlin, I'm not starting this again," said Arthur.

"Starting what?" said Merlin innocently.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Get back to work, Merlin. It's almost evening, anyway. It's hardly like you still have a long day ahead of you. If nothing else, the sooner you finish, the more time you'll be able to spend with your puppy. I know that's what you're thinking about, so maybe if you think of it that way, you'll actually get something done."

"I am not thinking about Fred," said Merlin.

"Yes, you are," said Arthur, "but I'm willing to excuse that if you just get to work."

"Thank you, sire," said Merlin sarcastically.

"You're very welcome," Arthur replied, keeping his tone flat. "Now, I'm going to go train with my knights for awhile, so try to at least accomplish something while I'm gone."

"I'll try," said Merlin lightly as Arthur left. Arthur rolled his eyes as he walked out the door.

The moment Arthur left the room, Merlin felt his thoughts begin to wander again. His mind drifted away from the work that was ahead of him and instead focused on the image of Fred. How was Fred? Was he okay? Was he upset because Merlin wasn't there? Did he have enough food, enough water? Merlin did not know, not for sure.

"I should really work on mending Arthur's clothes," Merlin said to himself. "I really should." But by then, Merlin's feet were already carrying him out of the door, and it was too late. Merlin walked through the hallways to return to his room. It didn't take long at all before Merlin had arrived. When he walked in the door, Gaius looked up from his seat at the table.

"Merlin, what are you doing back already?" asked Gaius. "Shouldn't you be working for Arthur?"

"I just had to stop in to check on Fred," said Merlin. "It'll only take a minute."

"Okay, but then you should really get back to work," said Gaius. "It's irresponsible to shrug off your duties to take care of a puppy."

"You sound like Arthur," said Merlin, exasperated.

"Yes, well maybe Arthur is right," said Gaius.

Merlin's eyes grew large in his head. "But… how could you say that Gaius? I thought that I was like a son to you!"

"You are," said Gaius, always the slightly oblivious voice of reason, "and that's why it's important that I help you do the right thing."

"But," Merlin stuttered, "you said… you said… that Arthur was right! How could you say that?"

"Merlin," Gaius started, "That's—"

"You don't care about me Gaius!" Merlin interrupted.

"Merlin," Gaius tried again, "I—"

"It's always been about Arthur. It's not me you care about, it's him," Merlin continued. "You—"

"MERLIN!" yelled Gaius.

Merlin quickly snapped his mouth shut and looked at Gaius sheepishly.

"Thank you, Merlin," said Gaius. "Now, as I was trying to explain, all I'm saying is that you should get back to work. The puppy will still be here when you get back."

"But what if something happens while I'm gone?" asked Merlin worriedly.

"Nothing will," said Gaius. "Fred's a puppy, not a time bomb. He'll be fine."

Merlin visually struggled with himself for a moment. "Okay, I'll go back to work," he proclaimed.

"A good decision," said Gaius, waving him out the door. "I'll see you this evening after you've finished working. Don't come back any sooner."

"Thanks," Merlin said, his voice colored with light sarcasm, "I feel very wanted right now."

"Just go, Merlin," said Gaius, shaking his head with a smile. Merlin grinned back over his shoulder at Gaius and headed toward the door, nearly walking into the doorframe in the process. He quickly corrected his direction and managed to avoid the collision and exit the room safely.

Gaius shook his head after Merlin had left, and then shuffled over to the bookshelf. He needed to find a new book so that he could return to the research that Merlin had interrupted, research on a more effective remedy to one of Camelot's many illnesses.

The puppy was staring at the slightly opened door with a hungry expression on his face. He stood still for a moment, frozen in place, listening. He raised his nose and sniffed the air. With a quick motion of his eyes, he glanced at Gaius. The physician was standing on the other side of the room with his back to Fred. It was the perfect moment. With one last glance at Gaius, Fred quickly padded toward the door, his nails tapping softly on the floor. The door creaked quietly as he passed through, moving it open slightly. Gaius looked up but nothing looked out of the ordinary it must have been a draft. He returned to his work.

Fred was gone.

Merlin was only partially down the hallway when he heard quick tapping behind him. It sounded like… but no, it couldn't be. Merlin turned. Sure enough, there was Fred trotting along after him "How did you get here?" asked Merlin.

Fred merely hung his tongue out in reply and wagged his tail. He gave a short bark. Merlin could have sworn he was smiling, if only that were possible. Merlin nearly died from the cuteness of it all.

"The door must have been open," said Merlin, answering his own question. "Gaius really didn't take care of you very well, did he? Well, I guess there is only one thing to do now. You'll just have to go to work with me."

Fred barked in answer, showing his enthusiasm by an increased wagging of his tail.

"Well, let's go then," said Merlin, beginning to walk forward with a look back toward Fred. Fred immediately began trotting beside him.

Merlin held a monologue with Fred as he walked, punctuated with barks from Fred at strangely appropriate times. It was almost as if Fred could understand him. Fred followed along easily, and Merlin did not need to focus on making sure that the puppy stayed with him. Merlin's eyes wandered around the castle as they walked. As a result, he missed when Fred's eyes glinted an evil red.

It was a lot like Morgana's smirk, in fact, in that it should have been excruciatingly obvious and impossible to miss, and yet somehow everyone was so oblivious that they missed it every single time that it occurred. Which was often. That is, they missed it until Morgana tried to take over Camelot. Then everyone knew of course. They all wondered how Morgana had hidden her changing nature so well and never suspected their own ineptitude.

Of course, Morgana had nothing to do with Fred. Fred, being a puppy, would never stoop so low as to work with someone else. Really, in that way Fred was a lot like a cat, regardless of the fact that he was a puppy. Still, it is interesting to note Morgana and Fred's many similarities.

The point is, Fred's eyes glinted red yet again. When Merlin next looked at Fred, however, the red color of his eyes had faded, returning them to a clear blue. Merlin was none the wiser. They continued their trek through the castle, and it was not long before the two of them reached Arthur's chambers.

"Hopefully Arthur is not in here," Merlin whispered to Fred. He opened the door slightly and glanced in before opening it wider and stepping inside. He gestured for Fred to follow him. "Come on in, Fred," he said.

There was a measuring look in Fred's eyes as he stepped into the room. He glanced up at the luxurious furniture. He glanced at the pile of unmended clothes and the pack that were still lying in the middle of the floor from earlier that day. He glanced at the box of gold that was under Arthur's bed and at Fred's eye level. He glanced at an awful lot of things. Fred was a rather observant puppy.

"So what do you think?" asked Merlin. "Do you think you can stand staying here for a few hours while I finish working?"

"Roof," said Fred.

Merlin grinned. "I'll take that as a yes then." He looked around the room. "I need to find you a place to sit, though. I don't want you getting into trouble." His gaze settled on the middle of the room where Fred had already settled in the midst of the pile of unmended clothes. "I'm not sure if Arthur would like you lying in his clothes…" Merlin started.

Fred looked up at him with sad eyes.

"Never mind, I'm sure it will be fine," said Merlin. "What he doesn't know can't hurt him."

With that, Merlin began bustling around the room, performing basic cleaning throughout Arthur's chambers. He glanced repeatedly over his shoulder toward the door, before allowing his eyes to flash gold, eliminating a fair quantity of work. Before long, Arthur's chambers were clean. In another few moments, Merlin had emptied Arthur's pack, leaving the floor mostly clear. Except that is, for the pile of mended clothes and the puppy sitting on them.

"Alright," said Merlin, "I'm going to need to take some of these clothes to start mending. Which means that you are going to have to move."

Fred looked at him tragically, before moving slowly off the pile of clothes and settling on another spot of the floor. Merlin was somewhat surprised. He was expecting to have to move Fred himself. He really was an intelligent puppy. Maybe he was just able to pick up on the inflections of Merlin's voice.

"Thank you, Fred," said Merlin lightly, before picking up the folded clothing. He moved over to the table where he sat down to begin mending. Glancing toward the door again, he used soft words to mend the clothing. He had always been horrible at mending by hand. Magic was much easier and much more effective. Otherwise, he would be mending clothes eternally. It was true; Merlin was useless with a needle. Really, it was hardly surprising since he was useless at anything that involved fine or gross motor skills. He then added another spell to the mix to magically strengthen the clothes so that he would have to mend them less often. It seemed a reasonable action to take.

Soon enough, the clothes were mended. Merlin glanced at the newly folded piles of clothing, completely free of holes with a smile. Arthur could hardly call him useless now. Not that Merlin's accomplishments had ever stopped Arthur from insulting him, but still, Merlin had accomplished a lot more than the average servant could do in so little time. Of course, that was because he had used magic, but there was no need for Arthur to know that. No, Merlin would simply embrace the idea that he was a perfect, wonderful servant. That idea would not be worth much, however. Arthur would still call him useless. Stupid Arthur.

Merlin quickly hung the clothing up with a smile. He was free for the evening with time to spare! He did not even have to come back later to attend to Arthur. Arthur had announced already that he planned to eat dinner with his father, so Merlin's help would not be necessary.

In a flash of inspiration, Merlin looked around the room for a piece of paper and something to write with. He could not find either because Arthur had never been one for writing. "Well," thought Merlin, "at least Arthur's knows how to read. That's something anyway." Because he could not find either item, he quickly muttered a view syllables and conjured them. He scribbled down a few sentences: "I've cleaned your room, emptied your pack, and mended your clothes. Just call me a god. See you tomorrow." He signed the note with his name and a smiley face. That ought to be enough to irritate Arthur. Smiley faces seemed to have that effect on him.

Merlin left the note on the table where Arthur would surely find it and then looked around the room one last time. It looked perfect. Merlin smiled at the results of his efforts.

"Come on, Fred, we're leaving!" he announced.

Fred promptly got up and walked toward him, wagging his tail. He had been quite well behaved, Merlin realized, especially for a puppy. He had not gotten into any trouble or done anything remotely bad. It was almost as if he went beyond the intelligence of the average puppy. But no, Fred was just a puppy. A simple, completely normal puppy.

Little did Merlin know, Fred had been busy. He might not have gotten into any trouble, but that did not mean that Fred was not plotting. His mind was still whirling with all the plans he had made as a result of his intense scrutiny of Arthur's room. The possibilities were endless. As Fred considered the possibilities, his eyes turned red for the millionth time that day.

Merlin left the room, Fred following at his heels. As he walked through the doorway, he promptly ran into Arthur who felt a bit like a brick wall as a result of Merlin's lack of observation skills and the speed at which he was walking. It was also a bit because Arthur was built somewhat like a brick wall.

"What are you doing, Merlin?" said Arthur. "Can't you watch where you're going?"

"Umm, yes," Merlin stuttered. "Yes, I can." His eyes flickered around frantically, trying to look for Fred without calling attention to him. He hoped that the puppy would stay out of sight. His hopes were quickly dashed.

"What is the puppy doing here?"

"Umm, nothing?" said Merlin.

"Really, Merlin, did you take him into my chambers with you?" asked Arthur.

"No, of course not, sire," said Merlin. "Why would I ever do that?"

"Maybe because you are an idiot," said Arthur. "If you did not bring him in, then what is your explanation as to why he is here?"

"He just followed me here," said Merlin. "I just came out of your room, and he was just here."

"Yes, Merlin, very believable," said Arthur. "Don't bring him into my room again."

"Of course not. I never did that in the first place, and I definitely would not do it again."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You basically just admitted to bringing him in."

"What?" said Merlin. "No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did," said Arthur, "but it's not important. Just don't do it again."

"Yes, sire," said Merlin resignedly.

"Good. Then you can take your puppy home and get back to work," said Arthur.

"Yes, about that," started Merlin, "I think you'll find that I left you a note on your table regarding that."

"A note?" said Arthur, looking at him oddly.

"Yes, a note," said Merlin, grinning. "Well, I'll see you later then." He promptly took off jogging down the hallway with Fred at his heels and a grin still on his fact, leaving Arthur staring after him.

"Merlin, wait!" Arthur yelled after him, but Merlin just kept running. Arthur rolled his eyes. Useless servant. Realizing that the only way to get Merlin to listen to him was to run after him, Arthur decided to go into his room. Running after Merlin was beneath his dignity, and it was not worth the effort anyway. After all, Arthur only wanted to remind Merlin that he was the servant. Therefore, it was Arthur who made dismissals and not the other way around. It would have been wasted effort. Merlin never listened anyway.

Arthur entered his chambers and glanced at the note on the table. At first, he raised his eyebrows, surprised at all that Merlin had accomplished in such a short time, but then he dismissed the feeling, deciding that Merlin's poor work had lowered his standards. It was impossible that Merlin could be a good servant. No, at best Merlin was average or possibly below, and at worst… Well, that was too horrible to think about.

When Arthur reached the smiley face, he scowled. Leave it to Merlin.

Further down the hallway, Merlin had slowed back to a walk, knowing that Arthur would have given up by then. "That was an eventful day, wasn't it?" he said to Fred as they approached his quarters.

Fred barked in reply. If only Merlin knew.

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><p><strong>AN:** -Cue evil laugh- Well, an evil puppy laugh haha. So I've been noticing the tone of this story is changing slightly. It's settling into something more natural, I think, something a little more serious. I mean, not actually serious, let's face it, this story is about an evil puppy haha, but I'm sure you know what I mean. Anyway, hopefully the slight change in tone doesn't bother anyone. Go ahead, review and tell me what you think. You know you want to. I would love to know what you think of this chapter, or even the story in general =]


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I didn't write as much this week as I was hoping, but I'll post the next chapter a week from today at the latest, probably a bit earlier. Life's a bit hectic right now, so I'm trying to give myself plenty of time haha. And this chapter has a lot of Fred in it, so get ready for a taste of pure evil. Well, not really, but Fred _is _in it a lot. So yay!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Merlin. Although I am planning to ask for it for my birthday.

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><p>Merlin had only been asleep for a few hours when he woke to the feeling of a puppy licking his face. Fred of course. The sky was still dark and not an ounce of light leaked in from the window in his room. Well, maybe an ounce, there was a bit of moonlight after all. But as for the crack beneath his door, well, not an ounce of light leaked in from under there. The point was, his room was dark because it was the middle of the night.<p>

"What are you doing?" mumbled Merlin, still half-asleep.

Fred continued licking his face happily, covering him in slobber.

"Really, Fred," said Merlin, a little more awake now, "why are you licking my face?"

Fred ignored him.

"Fred, stop!" yelled Merlin this time, and Fred looked at him with a wounded expression in his eyes. Merlin could not stay angry for long. "Okay, I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have yelled."

Fred just looked at him.

"Still, you can't just be jumping on my bed in the middle of the night and licking my face," said Merlin. "I need to sleep." For a moment, Merlin could have sworn he saw an almost hungry look in Fred's eyes accompanied by a look of pure evil. It was gone in a flash, however, and Merlin knew that he had imagined it. It was night, he was exhausted and quite possibly delirious, and the moonlight was bound to play tricks on him.

Fred's eyes quickly changed to an expression of sorrow, barely different from the wounded expression that he had held before, except that now he looked sorry rather than hurt. He let out a soft bark.

"Okay, now I'm going back to sleep," said Merlin, "but I'm putting you back on the floor first." He picked up Fred and moved him over to a pile of blankets in the middle of the floor where Fred promptly curled up in a ball. Merlin was once again stunned by just how adorable Fred was.

"Good night, Fred," said Merlin, and Fred barked in reply. Merlin suddenly wished that Fred could talk simply because it would make their conversations a lot more interesting. That was a ridiculous idea, however, because Merlin knew full well that puppies, or for that matter dogs, could not talk. Merlin got into his bed, and within moments, he was asleep.

After what seemed like only a few moments more, however, Merlin suddenly woke again. This time, it was to the sound of barking.

"Bark, bark," went Fred. "Bark, bark, bark, bark, bark." It was a consistent bark, loud and irritating in the otherwise silent night. He was standing directly beside Merlin's bed.

"Fred!" said Merlin tiredly. "Shh. It's night. Night is a quiet time. A time to sleep."

"Bark, bark, bark!" continued Fred incessantly.

"Please, Fred?" said Merlin. It was almost as if Fred was conspiring to keep him awake. Then again, thought Merlin, Fred was a wild puppy. He and Arthur had found him in the forest while out hunting. Maybe Fred did not understand things like nighttime, and people sleeping.

Fred barked softly and looked at Merlin. Merlin looked at Fred. "Please?" he repeated.

Fred promptly lay back down and fell asleep. Merlin breathed a sigh of relief before promptly falling asleep yet again.

Suddenly, Fred was licking Merlin's face again. "Fred!" yelled Merlin, out of patience this time. He was tired, he could sense dawn approaching, and he had hardly got any sleep with Fred's constant interruptions. "Stop it!"

Fred continued licking his face, oblivious.

"That's it," said Merlin, "you're not sleeping in here anymore." He picked Fred up and carried him to the door before placing him outside and shutting the door behind him. "Good night, Fred."

He went back to his bed to lay down. He edged toward sleep, but as soon as he was about to fall asleep, the scratching began.

Scratch, scratch.

Scratch, scratch.

Scratch, scratch.

It was the sound of Fred's nails against his door.

Scratch, scratch.

Merlin rolled over and tried to ignore it.

Scratch, scratch.

He could ignore the sound if only he tried.

Scratch, scratch.

Come on, it wasn't even that loud, Merlin told himself. It was just a soft scratching on his door.

Scratch, scratch.

"Fred, stop it!" he yelled.

Scratch, scratch.

Merlin threw the pillow over his head, trying to block out the sound.

Scratch, scratch.

Who needed sleep anyway?

Morning came quickly. Merlin rubbed at his eyes as he woke up, exhausted. Somehow, he had managed to fall asleep despite the consistent scratching on his door. He could not imagine how. Then again, perhaps he had merely been overpowered by sheer exhaustion. He hadn't got much sleep after all. Anyway, the sleep that he had managed to obtain after the scratching had been restless at best, filled with dreams of nails on chalkboards and pounding footsteps. He was not altogether happy with Fred at the moment.

Despite his exhaustion, he pulled himself out of bed and to his feet with a groan. He needed to get to work. Arthur would be expecting him any time now, and Merlin did not want to be late. Not that he wasn't late often, but it would look especially bad if Merlin was late on a day after he had got off early. No, he really did not want to do that. Regardless of the impression he gave, Merlin did care about being a decent servant. Well, he cared a little bit anyway.

His room was no longer dark, of course, since it was morning, but Merlin still managed to trip over the pile of blankets on his floor once he stumbled to his feet. It had something to do with the heaviness of his limbs, a result of his lack of sleep. Within two steps, he had fallen, taking down a nearby shelf as well when he flailed his arms to catch his balance. Needless to say, his balance was not caught. Tiredness really did not help with Merlin's tendency toward clumsiness.

With another groan, Merlin pulled himself to his feet and dragged himself to the door, leaving the shelf and all of its contents lying in the middle of the floor. He did not bother to pick them up, and he had not even attempted to stop time to catch it. He was much too tired for that, and his brain was not working on a frequency capable of thinking so quickly.

Clutching the doorknob in his hand, Merlin managed to pull the door toward him, and he staggered out of the room like a puppet controlled by a drugged up marionette. Or perhaps as if he himself was drugged up. Everyone did always seem to think that he had a tendency toward drinking for some reason.

He came into the main room, blinking rapidly against the light that met his eyes, looking an awful lot like a startled goldfish, if a goldfish could look startled. Gaius looked up at his entrance.

"You don't look so good today, Merlin," said Gauis, taking in the dark circles under his eyes and the slightly dazed expression on his face.

"Thanks a lot," said Merlin. "It was Fred. He kept me up all night."

"Wait, who's Fred?" said Gauis. "Are you implying—oh, right, the puppy."

"Yes, of course, the puppy," said Merlin. "What did you think I—oh," Merlin stopped and looked at Gaius for a moment. "Well, anyway," he started again, "he was barking and licking my face all night, and then he started scratching on my door."

Gaius looked surprised at this news. "I don't know how I slept through all of that."

"Well, you've always been a heavy sleeper. You've always slept through—uh, never mind," Merlin stopped again.

"Slept through?" Gaius prompted.

"Nothing, nothing at all," said Merlin. How did he always manage to talk himself into things like this?

"I should hope so," said Gaius. "You would never wait until I was asleep and then do something stupid. You would much rather do that while I'm awake."

"Hey," said Merlin indignantly, "I don't do stupid things."

"No, of course not. You are always an embodiment of wisdom itself," said Gaius.

Merlin just glared at him, for once at a loss for a proper response.

"Have you thought about what you're going to do about Fred?" said Gauis next.

"At the moment, I'm hoping that this was just a one night occurrence."

"Yes, we can hope," said Gaius. "Well, whether or not that is the case, you still need to go to work. If you don't leave soon, you're going to be late, and you don't want to keep Arthur waiting.

"Of course not, Arthur could never wait like a normal human being," muttered Merlin, grabbing a piece of toast off the table and heading for the door. Sadly, the multi-tasking proved too much for him in his current state, and he stumbled over his own feet yet again, falling to the floor with a crash.

As he lay on the floor, Fred ran up to him and promptly stole the piece the toast from his hand. He moved back a few feet from Merlin and sat down just out of his reach, chewing the toast insolently. Their eyes met. Merlin's were annoyed, and Fred's were satisfied as he ate the toast.

Soon, the toast was gone, and Merlin glared. "You ate my breakfast," he said.

Fred looked at him peacefully.

"Don't worry, you can have another piece," said Gaius. "There's more."

Merlin stood up, still glaring at Fred. "Thanks, Gaius," he said. He walked over to the table and focused on picking up a piece. He was not going to trip this time. He was not going to trip.

He grabbed a piece of toast, and then turned and began slowly walking toward the door, taking care of where he placed his feet. At that moment, however, Fred began circling him frantically, running as if he were being chased by some sort of demon. Merlin stumbled over the fast-moving form, falling to the ground once again. Just in time, he spotted Fred jumping toward his toast.

"No, Fred, no!" shouted Merlin, before holding the piece of toast as far above his head as he could. He could not let Fred get this piece as well!

Thankfully, as awesome as Fred was, he was not able to jump high enough to reach the piece of toast held aloft by Merlin's outstretched arm. Not without a great deal more preparation anyway, preparation that he did not have time to do in the short amount of time before Merlin stood up, still holding the piece of toast above him.

"I think Fred is out to get me," said Merlin. "He won't let me sleep, he won't let me eat…" His voice trailed off.

"Don't be ridiculous, Merlin," said Gaius. "He's a puppy. He's just doing what puppy's do."

"What would you know about puppies?" asked Merlin.

"An awful lot," said Gaius. "I used to have one. He died." Gaius felt tears forming in his throat, but he promptly swallowed them down. The death of his puppy had been a scarring experience in his life.

"I'm sorry," said Merlin. "I did not mean to bring that up. I didn't know." Merlin never did think before he spoke.

"Of course you wouldn't know," said Gaius, shaking his head to bring himself back to reality and rid himself of the last of his tears. "It was a long time ago. Now go to work! Now you will be late."

"Oh no, I am going to be late! I almost forgot!" shouted Merlin, dragging himself to the door as rapidly as he could in his still borderline comatose state, which really meant that he moved at approximately the pace of a quick turtle. He didn't even bother to grab a piece of toast. It was a hopeless cause anyway.

This time, Merlin actually made it to the door. He even managed to make it out in the hallway without falling down. He began walking toward Arthur's chambers, once again fully aware of the heaviness of his limbs. They seemed to drag him downward, something he had not noticed while he was standing around talking to Gaius. However, now that he was walking again, the full awareness of just how tired he was returned to him.

Merlin dragged his feet forward as he stumbled down the hallway. "I can do this," muttered Merlin. "I can do this." He continued muttering as he walked. After a few minutes of slow walking, however, he suddenly realized that his repeated mantra had altered slightly. "I can't do this," he now mumbled. "I can't do this."

Merlin stopped walking immediately when he recognized the change in his words. He considered what he was saying, and then decided to change his mantra to something somewhere halfway between the two. "I think I can," he said, "I think I can." He had no idea where that thought had come from, but it seemed to be the best choice of what to say.

He continued repeating it as he continued staggering toward Arthur's chambers, only stumbling a few times. Well, a few times if 'a few' was synonymous with twenty-seven. Yes, Merlin had stumbled a grand total of twenty-seven times. All and all, it was a rather impressive start to the day.

Eventually, Merlin had reached Arthur's chambers. He practically fell into the door, happy to have finally reached his destination. Of course, he would have preferred if his destination was his room and his plan was to sleep, but one couldn't have everything.

Trying to compose himself, Merlin pulled himself to his full height and raised his chin. That only served to throw him off balance, however, and he promptly fell to the ground with a crash. Maybe that wasn't the best idea. Merlin would just have to try his best to look both awake and alert.

Standing up again, Merlin pulled open the door, trying to remain standing this time. His attempt was a success, and he walked through the door, closing it behind him. Sadly, this movement managed to throw him off balance yet again, and once more, he fell.

He stood up, trying to preserve a bit of dignity, and drew himself to his full height, before promptly slumping over with exhaustion. He could only hope that Arthur was still asleep. He looked up… and there was Arthur, sitting at the table, very much awake, looking at Merlin as if he was the clumsiest person on the face of the earth. Of course, at the moment, that was quite possibly true.

"You're late," Arthur said, rolling his eyes.

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><p><strong>AN**: Ah Merlin, late again. Fail. I think now it is time for a further disclaimer. I do not own The Little Engine That Could. Ah darn. The joy of including random references in stories! I also feel the need to mention that I can totally relate to poor Merlin. My pets have kept me up all night and share some of Fred's psychotic traits. Well, except that they aren't evil haha. Anyway, I adore reviews. They are very much appreciated. That is my subtle hint for the day =]


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Posted in a week, as promised. Hopefully, I'll be able to have my next chapter posted on Saturday as well, but I can't guarantee it. Finals start this week, so things are about to get crazy. I've got a project and an essay as well. I'll have the chapter posted as soon as I can, though!

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><p>"Late? I'm not late!" said Merlin.<p>

"No, of course not," said Arthur, "for you this is early. Usually you would be another hour at least."

"I would not!" said Merlin indignantly. "I am usually perfectly on time. I mean, sometimes things interfere like your food gets burned or someone needs help with something or Gaius wants me to get something or—"

"See that's what I mean! You are a positively awful servant, Merlin."

"I am not! I am a wonderful servant. Do you realize how often I save your royal backside?"

"Yes, Merlin, I'm sure you do that all the time."

"You wouldn't believe," Merlin muttered darkly before repeating, "Well, I'm not late!"

"Okay," said Arthur, "keep telling yourself that." He stood up from the chair where he was still seated. "I need to meet my father in fifteen minutes for breakfast, however. I agreed to eat with him today. Do you still think that you aren't late?"

"Well, you didn't tell me you had to be up early today!" exclaimed Merlin. "How was I supposed to know?"

"This isn't early," said Arthur. "It is the same time that you are always supposed to be here."

"Oh," said Merlin, finally running out of arguments. "Well, it's still your fault. Prat."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Just pick out some clothes for me."

"Fine," said Merlin, "although don't you think that as a future king, you should be able to handle the responsibility of picking out your own clothing? I mean, how can you control an entire army or lead a country if you can't even decide what to wear?"

"Merlin," said Arthur warningly.

"You could have at least started to get ready before I got here if you were so worried about being late to meet your father," Merlin continued, ignoring Arthur as he shuffled through the dresser in search of clothing. "I mean, really Arthur, picking out something to wear is hardly a difficult task."

"Of course not," said Arthur dryly. "You can do it can't you?"

"Really, sire? If everything I do is so simple, does that mean you think you could go a day without me?"

"Yes, I could," said Arthur. "It's hardly as if you do anything the slightest bit challenging."

"Then prove it," said Merlin.

"Fine I – No, Merlin," said Arthur. "I'm not giving you a day off."

"Fine, then I guess that you can't go a day without me."

"Yes, I can," said Arthur, "but I really don't feel like doing the mundane tasks that you do. You're my servant, and I have more important things to do."

"Oh, I do important things, all right," said Merlin as he handed Arthur a set of clothes. "You just don't know about them."

"Whatever you say, Merlin," said Arthur. "What you do in your free time is no concern of mine."

Merlin smiled, "Oh, but I believe it is."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all," said Merlin.

With a roll of his eyes, Arthur took the clothes handed to him and went behind the screen to change.

"Fine, don't thank me then!" called Merlin.

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning on it," said Arthur. A moment later, his voice returned. "Why do these clothes smell?"

"Maybe because they're yours?" suggested Merlin brightly.

"Trying to be funny doesn't suit you, Merlin," said Arthur. "They almost smell like—" Suddenly something clicked. "Wait a minute," he started, "you had your puppy in here yesterday."

"Actually, I believe we already reached the conclusion that Fred was _not _in here," Merlin said.

"You didn't," said Arthur, ignoring Merlin. "You didn't let your dog lie on my clothes."

"No, he wasn't even in here!" said Merlin.

"You're a horrible liar," said Arthur. "You let… your dog… lie on… my clothes."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did. I could put you in the stocks for this, you know."

"But you won't?" said Merlin hopefully. "Since I didn't do it," he added hastily.

Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to find a bit of strength. "No, I won't. But don't do it again. And wash my clothes today."

"Yes, sire," said Merlin, bowing dramatically, his voice full of irony.

"I don't know why I bother," said Arthur.

"It's because you love me," said Merlin helpfully. A moment later, he realized what he had said. Arthur registered it at approximately the same time. Merlin's face rapidly grew red, and they both began to pointedly avoid eye contact. After a minute of looking rapidly around the room, their eyes accidentally met. They quickly looked away awkwardly. Merlin began to whistle. The uncomfortable moment lengthened.

"Go clean the stables, Merlin," said Arthur.

"Yes, sire," said Merlin, before walking out the door as quickly as he could without running. He did not look back at Arthur at all. Arthur did not know this, however, because he was too busy looking in the opposite direction.

After Merlin had left, Arthur remembered what had been driven from his mind by the awkward moment. "Merlin got out of washing my clothes," muttered Arthur irritably, shaking his head. "They still are going to smell like dog." Still, Arthur realized, there was no way around it. He had to get dressed.

With a glare, he stepped behind the screen, holding his scented clothes in his hands. He quickly changed into them. "That's not so bad," he said with a sniff but then a draft of wind carried the unfortunate scent to his nose, and he scowled. "I'm going to kill Merlin," he said.

With a sigh, however, he realized that was really nothing he could do. If these clothes smelled than all his others would smell as well, and he had things to do. He stood tall and squared his shoulders before walking out the door with his chin held high. He quickly angled himself toward the hall where he would breakfast with his father.

The hallways were mostly silent except for the sound of his footsteps. This early, there were not many people about. Not in the main hallway at any rate. It was silent, at least until he began to hear the pitter-patter of soft feet behind him.

For a moment, Arthur thought that he was imagining it. It was still early morning, after all, and there was always the possibility of hallucinations. As the sound continued, however, Arthur decided that it most probably was not a hallucination. Either that, or it was a rather repetitive one. He turned around quickly and looked behind him.

The sight that met his eyes was not what he was expecting. Then again, Arthur was not really expecting anything, so that did not say much at all. Still, the point was, Arthur was most definitely not anticipating seeing the little white fluff ball running toward him. Fred, Arthur reminded himself.

The dog barked as he ran toward Arthur, and Arthur found himself smiling at him. The dog was adorable, even Arthur could not deny it. As the puppy continued running, however, Arthur suddenly felt a small shock of fear. The words 'puppies are dangerous' flashed through his head, and he felt a shiver creep up his spine. He did not know where the thought had come from, but for some reason it had the faint feeling of déjà vu. A moment later, though, the feeling had disappeared. Arthur shook his head, dismissing the thought. He was being ridiculous. Fred could hardly be dangerous. He was simply an adorable puppy.

By then, Fred had reached Arthur's feet. With yet another bark, Fred began to spin in circles, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

With a smile, Arthur reached down to pet him. "Good boy."

Fred's short tail began to wag violently. Arthur was almost worried he was going to fall over from the amount of force that he was putting into it. Fred almost seemed to be smiling at him, his tongue still sticking out of his mouth.

"So what are you doing out here?" asked Arthur. "Shouldn't you be back in Merlin's chambers? Oh, wait, this is Merlin we're talking about here. He probably forgot to shut the door."

Fred barked at him in reply.

"Well, I don't have time to take you back to his chambers, but I'd hate to leave you wandering around the castle. You might get lost." Arthur thought for a moment. "I guess you'll just have to come up with me."

Fred tilted his head to the side, looking up at Arthur in question.

"Yes, that seems to be the only solution," Arthur finished. "Come on."

He started walking forward, looking back at Fred and gesturing for him to follow. Thankfully, Fred picked up on the idea right away and quickly began trotting after him. Arthur had briefly considered picking Fred up and carrying him but had decided that he really did not need the addition of any more dog smell to his clothing. As a result, it was definitely a good thing that Fred was smart enough to have grasped the concept that Arthur was trying to convey. Either that, or Fred had just decided to follow him. Either way, the result was the same.

Arthur continued walking toward the hall where he was to meet his father for breakfast. Soon enough, he arrived.

He nodded cordially to the guards who began to open the doors to allow him inside.  
>"Not yet," said Arthur, and the guards stepped back into place, bringing the door shut again behind them.<p>

"Sire?" said one of the guards questioningly.

"I need you to watch this puppy for me while I'm eating with my father," Arthur said. "I realize that that is not in your list of duties, but it is still an important task."

"Yes, sire," said the same guard, barely managing to stifle the expression of disbelief on his face. "Of course."

"Good," said Arthur. "Just make sure he doesn't get into any trouble. I'll take him back once I'm finished with breakfast with my father."

"Yes, sire," said the guard again, before moving aside again to open the door.

Fred looked up at Arthur pityingly, and Arthur had to look away. "I'm sorry. I'll be back soon, I promise."

This seemed to cheer Fred slightly, who at least lost a bit of the abandonment that tainted his eyes. By then, the doors were open and Arthur nodded once more to the guards before stepping inside the room.

"Good morning, Father," Arthur said politely. Uther was already seated at the table, food set in front of him, although it appeared that he had not begun eating yet.

"Good morning," Uther replied.

"I'm sorry if I'm a little late," said Arthur, "I had some difficulties with my manservant."

"I don't know why you bother to keep him around," said Uther, gesturing for Arthur to sit. "It would hardly be difficult replace him."

"I know." Arthur did not bother to defend Merlin. He was still angry with him for allowing Fred to sleep on his clothes. Although, he could hardly blame him. Fred _was _adorable. Wait a minute, Arthur found himself thinking. When did the puppy lose his nameless place in Arthur's thoughts and become Fred?

Arthur was interrupted from his thoughts by Uther's voice. "Why do you smell like dog?"

Arthur groaned. He had not expected his father to notice his fragrance so soon or to be able to place it so accurately. He was saved the necessity of a response, however, when a scream broke through the wall.

"What was that?" asked Uther, standing up quickly.

"I suppose it was a scream," said Arthur. Uther glared at him, and he felt himself growing red. He had spent too much time around Merlin.

"Thank you for that wonderful insight, Arthur," said Uther, annoyed.

"I'll go see what is going on," started Arthur.

"No, it could be dangerous," said Uther. "You're the sole heir to the throne."

"I'm also a knight," said Arthur, "and it's hardly safer in a room protected by two guards."

Uther glared at him, and Arthur suddenly realized that he probably sounded disrespectful. "Please, Father?" he said, his voice as humble as he could make it.

"Fine," said Uther. "Be careful."

"I always am, Father," said Arthur, before stepping toward the door and opening it.

The sight that greeted him was yet another unexpected one. It seemed that Arthur only saw unexpected things. Sitting on the ground with their backs propped against the door were the two guards. Both had red wounds of some kind on their legs. Arthur could not imagine what had caused them. The injuries did not look serious, however, hardly serious enough to warrant them sitting on the floor in such a manner. For that matter, it did not warrant the scream that Arthur had heard cutting through the wall. Fred was nowhere to be seen.

"What happened out here?" Arthur asked.

"I don't remember," the first guard said, shaking his head.

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><p><strong>AN**: Dun, dun, dun! Admit it, you're scared! What happened? Where is Fred? Why are Arthur and Merlin so awkward? Why are conversations between Uther and Arthur so stilted? Don't answer that last one haha. Sorry that this chapter is a little weak. It's mostly filler and not a whole lot happens. Hopefully, you liked it anyway. Go ahead and review, you know you want to =].


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: And now the next chapter! I'm getting pretty good with my updates every Saturday. It definitely helps me to have a schedule. Even with finals, I'm writing this because honestly, I would much rather write than study. Anyway, hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter! It's slightly odd, but considering the story, I think that that's a good thing =]

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Merlin in this universe. Although I might in an alternate one, you never know. That would be sweet wouldn't it? I mean, if a parallel universe is made with every decision… there might be one where I exist as a writer for Merlin. Or if parallel universes and reincarnation are real…Maybe in another universe, I was reincarnated as a writer for Merlin. That could happen, too. Sadly, however, in this universe, I do not own Merlin, so a disclaimer is still necessary here. Oh well.

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><p>"What do you mean you don't remember?" Arthur asked, frustration leaking into his voice.<p>

"I mean," said one of the guards, we'll just call him Frank, "I don't remember." He stopped. "Sire," he added hastily.

"Well, I suppose we must catch the culprit," said Arthur, before randomly raising his sword into the air. "For the love of Camelot!" he shouted.

"For the love of Camelot!" echoed Frank and… Steve, the other guard, while pulling themselves to their feet despite their numerous severe injuries. Really, their single scrapes could have been life threatening if they were deeper. Or decapitating. But they were definitely severe.

Arthur suddenly took off running down the hallway with yet another battle yell, his sword held aloft before him. The guards raced after him, screaming similarly. Servants jumped out of the way of their swords, and one old man fell to the ground, clutching his chest. This was not because he had been stabbed. No, he had simply had a heart attack out of fear. It was not a big deal, though.

Arthur kept running, although he had no idea what he was looking for. He just knew that he was looking for something dangerous. He was sure he would recognize it when he came across it.

"Sorcery!" screamed Uther from down the hall. "Sorcery!"

Arthur ignored him. Uther was always going on about sorcery.

Suddenly, Arthur felt something beneath his feet, and he tripped, falling to the floor. Simultaneously, a yelp cut through the air. "God, I'm almost as clumsy as Merlin," Arthur muttered, exasperated, before looking down to examine the source of the yelp. He was startled to see what he had tripped over. Fred.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Arthur exclaimed. It was then that he noticed the blood coating Fred's face. "Oh no, did I hurt you? You're bleeding!"

Fred adopted a pitiful expression.

Arthur frowned. "I don't know how I stepped on your face, though." At that moment, Arthur saw a flash of images. Namely two. The first image was the guards with wounds on their legs with Fred nowhere to be seen. The second was Fred now, with blood coating his mouth. Arthur felt a flash of terror. It couldn't be! No, it couldn't be!

No, of course not, it couldn't be, Arthur thought, relieved. "You tried to help them, didn't you?" said Arthur. Yes, that made sense, Fred must have tried to clean up the blood, and then run away frightened before Arthur had got there. That made perfect sense.

"Bark," said Fred.

At that moment, Merlin appeared out of nowhere, as if magic. Mind you, it was not actually by magic. Merlin would not be stupid enough to use magic in Uther's own castle after all. That would be ridiculously reckless, and Merlin was known for his maturity as well as his ability to act responsibly in any given situation.

"Arthur!" Merlin yelled, "are you—Fred!"

"No, I am not Fred," said Arthur.

"I know that prat, I was just—oh, never mind," said Merlin, shaking his head. "Why does Fred have blood on him?"

"He tried to help some injured guards," said Arthur, "I don't know where the perpetrator went. Oh right, the perpetrator!" he said, taking off running again.

"Here, I'll just carry you home," Merlin said to Fred, reaching down to pick him up. "I want to make sure you aren't injured."

Fred barked happily, snuggling into Merlin's arms. Little did Merlin know of the destruction that was lurking in his adorable mind.

Fred knew that time was running short. He wanted the downfall of Camelot, but that could only happen if he worked quickly. There was really no time constraint since no one suspected him, but Fred wanted to work quickly anyway. As Merlin carried him back to his quarters, Fred plotted, and as he plotted, he felt an evil grin beginning to form in his head. It did not form on his actual face, however, because he was a dog and therefore had a little bit of trouble forming an evil smile on his features.

When Merlin was close to his rooms, Fred acted. With a bark, he lunged for Merlin's arm, sinking his teeth into his flesh. Out of reflex, Merlin dropped Fred, reaching instead for his painful arm. It really did hurt. Fred let go and dropped to the floor. For such a small dog, Fred really had a good jaw. His bite resembled that of a Rottweiler, except that it was infinitely less painful, and Merlin probably could have pried Fred off him if he had tried. Probably. On the bright side, Fred had not made that necessary because he had let go of Merlin himself.

As soon as Fred reached the floor, he started running down the hallway.

"Fred!" called Merlin, his voice laced with pain. How could Fred have bitten him? He was such a sweet innocent dog.

As he ran, Fred allowed a look of triumph to enter his eyes. Not only had he managed to escape Merlin so that he could begin his evil plotting, but he had also got a bite out of Merlin, something he had been looking forward to from his first day meeting him. He had always liked the taste of people, and Merlin's blood was laced with goodness and unicorns and cupcakes and magic. If nothing else, Fred had good taste when it came to blood. In a way, it was a bit like fine wine.

"Fred!" called Merlin again, "Come back!" He did not run after him, however, because apparently he did not savor the thought of getting bitten again by the Rottweiler—terrier.

Fred continued running, disappearing around a curve in the hallway as Merlin stood there in shock, blood running freely down his arm.

"I should probably should do something about that," Merlin thought with a glance toward his arm. With a sigh, he turned around to finish approaching Gaius's quarters, so that he could get some medical treatment.

"What happened?" exclaimed Gaius, as Merlin entered the room. "You're covered in blood!"

"I hadn't noticed," said Merlin. "It was Fred."

"Fred, you mean your friend—Oh, your dog, right," remembered Gaius. "Right. I suppose that makes more sense than… Oh, just forget about it."

"I was planning to," said Merlin.

"Right, well your dog," started Gaius. "Why did he bite you?"

"I don't know!" said Merlin indignantly. "Are you suggesting that I provoked him? Because I didn't do anything!"

"I wasn't suggesting anything of the kind," said Gaius calmly. "It's just that, in my experience, dogs don't usually bite without reason. I'm not saying that you did anything, but something probably happened."

"No, nothing did," said Merlin. "I was carrying him back here, and he just bit me."

"Wait," said Gaius, "you were carrying him back here? Why?"

"There was an attack on the guards, and he had some blood on him. I wanted to make sure he wasn't hurt."

"That's it!" said Gaius. "He was probably scared, and that's why he bit you! Where is he now?"

"Oh, he ran away. I don't know where he is. I didn't want to go after him and get bitten again."

"I see," said Gaius.

Suddenly, something clicked with Merlin. "Wait a minute, so he is afraid, possibly hurt, and running lost through the castle? I have to go after him!"

"I think that would be best," said Gaius. "I know you're attached to this dog."

"Yes, I am," said Merlin. "Okay, I'm leaving now."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" said Gaius.

"Umm, I don't think so," started Merlin. "Oh," he said as he spotted his arm. The blood was now dripping down his arm, soaking his shirt, and beginning to come dangerously close to falling to the floor. As he watched, a single drop fell from his arm to the floor.

"No!" screamed Merlin, as the drop fell and hit the floor. Nothing happened. Merlin was just overreacting as usual.

"What are you going on about?" asked Gaius.

"A drop of my blood. It hit the floor. That could've caused the apocalypse."

"Yes, yes it could have," said Gaius. "You need to be more careful. Now let's see about your arm."

A moment later, Merlin's arm was bound up, and he was ready to go search for Fred. "Thanks, Gaius," he said, "I'm leaving now."

"You're welcome," said Gaius, "but shouldn't you change your shirt first, since it's soaked through with blood?"

"I can't, Gaius, I don't have time," said Merlin. "It's not that big of a deal." He walked over to the door.

"Be careful!" Gaius called after him as Merlin left. Why did he have a bad feeling about this?

In fact, Gaius was right to have a bad feeling. In a different part of the castle, Fred was no longer plotting. No, he was finished plotting. Now he was putting his plans into action. There was a lot of work to do, but he knew that he could do it. What mattered most was Camelot's downfall, and Fred knew that he could bring it about. All it would take was a little effort on his part, and he would be triumphant.

Fred had already disabled two guards and managed to escape the eyes of both Merlin and Arthur. No one knew where he was, and he was fine with that. It would make his plans so much easier. Now, he had done something that would most likely keep Arthur and Merlin out of his fur even longer. Fred allowed himself another triumphant look, before leaving the room. He walked quietly, allowing himself to blend in with the shadows in the hallway, while he approached his next destination.

Arthur, however, was completely oblivious to this new set of events. He was still hunting for what had attacked the guards. After seeing Fred and Merlin, Arthur had not seen anything suspicious. No, all he had seen were servants, guards, and a few knights, no one who would have attacked Frank and Steve.

Arthur began humming to himself as he ran, still holding his sword in front of him for the fun of it. He stopped humming when he realized he was doing it, concluding that it was decidedly unprofessional. A moment later, however, Arthur was bored again, and he chose to restart his humming. After all, what could it hurt? Music was always a good thing.

The guards behind him overheard his humming and decided to join in. Soon enough, they had a chorus going. The people who they passed in the hallways started humming as well. Some of the people even followed after them, so as not to lose the music. Within time, the entire castle was in song. For some reason, everyone knew the song. It almost sounded like a theme song, Arthur thought, but what is a theme song? Arthur shook his head, deciding that it was unimportant.

Suddenly, Arthur realized that the entire castle was in song because of him. That was not prince-like behavior, was it? He abruptly cut off his humming, following it with a sigh. He could not be participating in things such as this. Soon enough, the humming around him died down, prompted by the termination of his own humming. The castle returned to silence, and everyone returned to their tasks as if nothing had happened. It was just a usual day in Camelot.

Arthur was beginning to grow frustrated, however, at his inability to find the culprit who had attacked the guards. After all this searching, he had not found a single clue. He was still just as unsure who the culprit was as when he had started the search. He had expected it to be easy. Dangerous people tended to leak pure danger, and Arthur could always sense it. He was good at sensing things. He was also very good at sensing magic. Yes, Arthur could always sense magic being performed under his nose or even at a great distance. Arthur was just that awesome.

Arthur sighed. "I think I'm going to take a break from the search," he said to the guards, frustration leaking into his tone.

"Okay, Sire," said Frank. "Should we keep searching?"

Arthur thought for a moment. "Well, since I'm taking a break, I think it's only fair that you're allowed to take one as well. Since you were the ones attacked, however, if you want to keep searching, you can continue."

"Thank you, Sire," said Frank and Steve simultaneously.

"I only speak for myself here," said Frank, "but I think I will take a short break. I may start searching again before you return, though." He glanced at Steve.

"Yes, the same goes for me," said Steve, who for some reason was never the one to talk first.

"Okay," said Arthur, "that works for me. I'll call for you when I'm ready to begin searching again."

"Yes, Sire," said Frank and Steve. They bowed respectfully, and then turned around to go wherever it is that guards of Camelot go to take a short break.

Now that that was done, Arthur decided to head back to his chambers. He could sit there and breathe for a moment. He was disappointed by his lack of success, but he needed to stop the search for the time being. Maybe when he sat still, he would realize something that he had missed. It was always a possibility. Arthur always thought better when he wasn't doing something else at the same. Multi-tasking had never been his strong point.

By then, Arthur was to his room. He reached for the doorknob, and then suddenly yanked his hand back as he felt a faint thrill of suspense. "Why did I do that?" muttered Arthur. He reached for the doorknob again, and pulled back his hand just as quickly as the same feeling filled him. "What is going on?" Arthur said, louder this time. He reached his hand for the doorknob a third time, and this time he reached for it without trouble, while he stifled his feeling of suspense. Arthur was fairly intuitive when it came to this sort of thing, and he couldn't help but feel that he would not like what he saw on the other side of the door.

Arthur turned the doorknob, and pulled the door open. He walked forward. He looked inside the room. He stood there. He gasped.

In front of him, where he would normally see a relatively organized room, he instead saw the path of a cyclone. It wasn't literally the path of a cyclone because that would be ridiculous. Still, it was a mess. The canopy to his bed had somewhere fallen to the floor, and his blanket was ripped and lying in pieces around the room. His mattress wasn't even on the frame anymore and was leaking stuffing. Ripped open pillows littered the floor, and like the mattress, their white stuffing covered everything in the room. Vases and jars were shattered into broken shards of glass. There was a puddle of liquid in the middle of the room that did not smell like water. Not only that, but Arthur could swear that the pair of boots beside his bed looked damp. He walked over to them carefully, trying to avoid stepping on the glass or in the puddle. He reached for them and brought them to his nose. He gagged, and a scowl formed on his face. Who could have done this?

At that moment, Merlin burst into the room. "Arthur have you seen—oh." Merlin had seen the room.

Arthur glared at him. "Merlin, do you have an explanation for this?"

Merlin looked back indignantly. "Of course not, what do you think? How would I know? I'm just seeing this for the first time myself."

"Well, you're going to see it a lot better," said Arthur, "because you're cleaning it up."

"What?" exclaimed Merlin. "This will take forever! And it's not even my fault!"

"You should have thought about that before you allowed it to happen."

"What do you mean, before I allowed it to happen?" Merlin said.

"You should have locked my door or been here to prevent it."

"I never lock your door during the day," said Merlin.

"Exactly."

Merlin glared at him. Arthur glared back.

"I think you should help," said Merlin.

"I don't think so," said Arthur. "You're my servant."

"Don't remind me," muttered Merlin. "Do you have any idea who could have done this?"

"No, I don't," said Arthur. "Who could ever be so stupid? Well, other than you of course.

"Hey, I didn't do this!"

"I know that, idiot," said Arthur. "The point is that no one would be stupid enough to risk getting caught doing this."

"Unless they knew that they wouldn't get caught," muttered Merlin darkly.

"Well, whoever it is, they… relieved themselves in the middle of my floor," said Arthur. He refused to resort to crude language. "Who does that?"

"I don't know," said Merlin, thinking. Something about this just didn't add up. "Eww, are you saying that I have to clean that up, too?"

"Yes, have fun with that," said Arthur, walking toward the door. "You better get started, this might take awhile."

"Prat," said Merlin, as Arthur left.

Merlin began to clean up the room, thinking as he did so. Who would have done something like this?

A moment later, everything snapped into place. The destroyed room. The torn pillows. The mess in the middle of the floor. And Fred was still missing.

Fred.

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><p><strong>AN**: Has Merlin finally realized what's going on? Oh the tension! And if you didn't notice, I favored morbid humor a bit in this chapter. Fred is a rather psychotic puppy, isn't he? Reviews are much loved so go ahead and leave one. If you do, you get a virtual puppy that is adorable and not psychotic =]


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: As you can probably tell, we're nearing the end of this story now. I figure that there will probably be one or two more chapters after this one, although I'm not particularly good at predicting the length of my writing. This is a relatively short chapter, but I thought it was a good point to end it on. Anyway, hopefully you enjoy this!

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Merlin. –sighs-

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><p>Fred, Merlin thought again, more resolutely this time. But how could Fred have done this? He was so adorable. A bit like Dorian Gray, really, Merlin would have thought if he had ever even heard of Oscar Wilde. He had not, however, since Oscar Wilde came quite a bit after his time, so this reference escaped him. The point is that Fred was both adorable and completely innocent in appearance, but this did not stop him from being completely and astoundingly evil.<p>

Of course, Merlin was not aware of just how evil Fred was. To his point of view, Fred was just being badly behaved. But what incentive could Fred have for completely demolishing Arthur's chambers?

Merlin thought. And thought. And thought. And thought. And thought some more.

He watched as a speck of dust floated through the air to land on the messy floor. Then he returned to thinking.

He saw a butterfly fly past the window. And then he returned to thinking.

A horse neighed in the street. And he returned to thinking.

"I've got it!" shouted Merlin, finally oblivious to the minor distractions that had interrupted his weak concentration. "Fred wanted me out of the way!" Because if he were stuck in Arthur's chambers, how could he stop Fred's evil plots? And as intelligent as Fred seemed to be, he must be aware of Merlin's destiny as well as his magic. Merlin had restored him to life, after all. Fred was a genius! He was obviously much more intelligent than Arthur, who still had not discovered Merlin's magic. Arthur had been outwitted by a puppy.

"I'll never let Arthur live that down," muttered Merlin. "Except… I can't. He can't know I have magic, so what is there for me to tease him about?" Merlin sighed. Oh, the weight of destiny and lies and deceit! Time makes liars of us all. Well corrected Merlin, it makes liars of those of us with something to hide. Like magic.

Wait a minute, thought Merlin, what am I doing sitting here when Fred could be putting his evil plans into action right at this moment? I need to get out of here and stop him! Although I don't know where he is. Oh well, I can solve that easily enough. I just have to look. With that, Merlin abandoned his angst and strode out of Arthur's chambers. Hopefully, Arthur would not be back to check on the state of his room because it was still a mess.

Walking down the hallway, Merlin considered his options. He was not sure where the best place would be to look for Fred. After all, there were so many places that Fred could be. Merlin decided that, for the time being, he would just wander around the castle aimlessly. If he did that, the chances were that he would come across Fred eventually. Well, really, the odds were against him, but Merlin did not consider that. No, he would be optimistic. After all, optimism is the key to success.

"Merlin!" called a voice from behind him, and Merlin pulled himself to a stop.

"Yes, Gaius?" said Merlin, turning around.

"I was hoping to come across you while I was on my rounds," said Gaius.

"I see," said Merlin, waiting patiently.

"Yes," said Gaius.

There was silence for a moment.

"Is there anything in particular that you want to tell me?" hinted Merlin.

"Oh yes, of course," said Gaius, "yes, I was just wondering if you had found Fred yet?"

Merlin sighed. "No, I haven't. I have no idea where he is. He did destroy Arthur's chambers, though," he added as an afterthought.

"What?" said Gaius. "No. This is bad. This is very bad." His voice trailed off.

"What's really bad?" said Merlin.

"I suspect," said Gaius, haltingly. "I suspect that Fred is not all that he seems."

"I have the same feeling," said Merlin. "I mean, why would he destroy Arthur's chambers in that way unless he had some sort of ulterior motive?"

"Yes, exactly," said Gaius. "In fact, I worry that his ulterior motive is something much less trivial than we could hope."

"Do you have any idea what it could be?" said Merlin.

"Well," started Gaius, "after he bit you, my suspicions first began to grow. At first, I did truly think that he was merely a frightened puppy. The circumstances that these events occurred, however, are somewhat suspicious. The more I thought about it, the more certain I became."

"Certain of what?" Merlin prompted.

"Certain that he was something more than just an innocent puppy."

"I believe you have already said that," said Merlin.

"Yes, I believe I have," said Gaius. He did have a problem with redundancy. "Well, I do not believe he is a simple puppy. I suspect that he may be some sort of spirit."

With this announcement, Merlin choked and then began coughing. Gaius pounded him heartily on the back.

"But how is that possible?" said Merlin. "How?"

"I'm not sure," said Gaius. "I believe that is for you to find out. You're the sorcerer after all."

"Gaius!" said Merlin loudly. "We're in the middle of a corridor in the castle. "You can't just announce that I'm a sorcerer! I'm the one who's supposed to blow my cover."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," said Gaius, completely disregarding that they had both just loudly announced that Merlin was a sorcerer. "Yes, we should probably be quieter about that, shouldn't we?"

"Yes, we should," said Merlin. No one had heard them, of course, because no one in Camelot had observation skills above that of a dead animal, but that was no reason to forgo caution. "Well, what do you think that I should do?" said Merlin.

"I think you should go find Fred," said Gaius. "Other than that, well," he lowered his voice slightly this time, "you're the sorcerer."

"Merlin!" suddenly called a voice down the hallway. Arthur's voice. He had been spotted.

"Well, I suppose that's destiny calling," said Gaius, "I should probably go. Good luck. And Merlin," he added for the second time that day, "be careful."

"I always am," said Merlin

"Merlin!" came the shout down the hallway again.

Merlin turned toward Arthur and began to walk toward him. "Yes, sire?" he said.

"What are you doing outside of my chambers?" Arthur asked. "I thought that I told you to clean them up!"

"You thought?" said Merlin. "You must be imagining things."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I do think, Merlin, definitely much more than you do. And yes, I know that I told you to clean my chambers, so the question still stands, what are you doing out here?"

"I'm finished!" announced Merlin.

"That isn't possible," said Arthur, "especially not for you."

"Fine then, why don't you go check?" said Merlin, before realizing that probably was not the best suggestion. He had hardly even started cleaning the chambers, let alone finished.

"I'm not going to bother," said Arthur bluntly. "I need to go back to working with the knights. I was just coming inside for a moment to allow them to work a little without my supervision."

Merlin nodded. "Well, your room is clean, you know."

"I highly doubt that, but I'm not even going to bother arguing. It had better be clean by the time I finish practice, however."

"Don't worry, it will be," said Merlin, "especially since it's already done."

"Okay, Merlin," said Arthur disbelievingly, "you just keep telling yourself that."

"I will," said Merlin, "because it's true."

Arthur rolled his eyes again. "I'm going back to practice," he said, turning to leave.

"Alright, have fun!" Merlin called. "Bye Arthur!"

Merlin let out a sigh of relief when Arthur disappeared around the corner. That had been a close call. Arthur had arrived just after Gaius had called him a sorcerer. That could have been a problem if Arthur had overheard. Thankfully, Arthur obviously had not overheard because Arthur was just that oblivious. He wouldn't have noticed if Merlin had performed magic directly in front of him. Which was rather convenient, since Merlin had done just that on more than one occasion.

Now, Merlin returned to walking around the castle, pondering where Fred could be. If he were an evil puppy where would he go? Suddenly, the thought struck him an awful lot like a brick to the forehead. The stores! He would go to the stores in order to tamper with the supplies! Maybe Merlin did have the workings of a criminal mastermind since this was the first idea to come to his mind.

Merlin broke into a run, only slowing his steps when he noticed people in the distance in order to avoid looking suspicious. Eventually, he approached more populated corridors, and he was forced to slow his steps to a more common pace. Upon reaching the stairs, he began to walk downward, following the twisted stairways and complicated corridors that led to the stores.

There were guards, of course, but with a flash of his eyes Merlin was able to avoid them without trouble. Mainly this involved shifting a box slightly so that the first guard tripped over it, and then the second guard tripped over him. At another point, Merlin cast a slight blur over a guard's eyes, which had him rubbing at his eyes until the glaze disappeared. By then, of course, Merlin was already past him.

Camelot really needed to work on their security.

Using those techniques, Merlin reached the stores without trouble. What he saw, however, when he arrived was something that he had not been anticipating. He had been expecting to see Fred or maybe something a little troubling. A part of him was even expecting that he would see nothing different at all, having incorrectly guessed where Fred would go.

What he did not expect, however, was to see that the entire grain store was completely and totally empty. "How is this possible," mumbled Merlin, as he glanced over the empty room. There was absolutely no grain on the floor. All that he could see was the cold stone floor, clear except for the empty bags scattered across it. He did not even see Fred.

"This cannot be good," Merlin said, prone to stating the obvious. He glanced around the room. "Fred?" he called softly. He knew it was hopeless. Even if Fred were there, he would not answer. "Fred?" he called again. There was no reply.

Despite Merlin's tendency toward obliviousness, he realized that this would not be a good place to be found. It would look suspicious if he were to be found in the empty grain stores, and suspicion was a thing that he preferred to avoid if at all possible. With a final glance around the room, Merlin left, using the same techniques as before to avoid being seen by the guards.

Merlin now knew more than ever the importance of finding Fred. The problem, however, was that he still did not know where to look. The grain stores had proved to be a good guess, but it had not helped him at all except to prove that Fred really was out to make trouble. What exactly Fred's goal was, Merlin still could not say, but it was not looking good. Not good at all.

Merlin wandered the hallways a little longer before realizing that it was hopeless. He was not just going to stumble across Fred this way. No, he needed to research. He needed to figure out what Fred's goal was in order to find him. For that matter, if Fred was more than a puppy, he needed to figure out what exactly he was. There was only one thing for him to do at this point. He needed to return to Gaius's chambers and resort to books.

Despite being a peasant, Merlin could read quite well. It was rather convenient. It was definitely helpful in situations like these. Hopefully, Gaius would be able to help him find out information on Fred as well. Merlin could only hope that he wouldn't be too late. With that, he redirected his footsteps. It was vital that he find out what was going on as quickly as possible. The future of Camelot could depend on it.

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><p><strong>AN:** And so another chapter ends. Review maybe? Reviews make me ridiculously happy =]. I would really love to know what you think of this so far!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**: I'm sorry for updating a few days late, life basically got in the way. Also, I'm going to be out of town until the 17th, so I probably won't be able to write the next chapter until after I get back. It'll hopefully be posted within 2 weeks of today, though. Anyway, that update will be the last chapter. Yes, there is only one chapter remaining! And now, on with the story!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Merlin, just in case you haven't caught that by now.

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><p>Merlin sat at the table in Gaius's chambers and turned a page in yet another old book. His eyes were beginning to glaze over in boredom. "This is hopeless!" he announced loudly.<p>

"Now, don't say that," said Gaius. "Think optimistically."

"I'm trying," said Merlin, "but we've been looking for almost an hour, and we've found next to nothing."

Gaius was silent for a moment. "Maybe it's because we do not know precisely what we are looking for."

"What do you mean?" said Merlin. "I'm looking for information on Fred. I thought that was obvious."

"Yes, yes," said Gaius, "but what specifically are you trying to find? You're not going to find information in these books about a puppy."

Merlin thought for a minute before acknowledging that Gaius had a good point. Focus had never been his strong point, and he really didn't know what he was looking for. He was hoping that something would just jump out at him, but what he really needed to do was focus his search. "Okay," said Merlin. "I'll admit that you might have a point. What do you suggest?"

"Well," said Gaius, "Maybe book research isn't what we need."

Merlin was shocked. "You mean… you're actually suggesting that we shouldn't use books? But you always talk about how important knowledge and research is!"

"Yes, and knowledge and research are important. I think, however, that this particular scenario calls for a more direct form of research."

"What does that mean?" asked Merlin.

"Think, Merlin. We really don't know what Fred is, so we can't research information on him. You can, however, consider what he will do next. You know that he wants to destroy Camelot. I think the answer will come if you put yourself in his place. Imagine what you would do first in order to destroy Camelot."

"What, are you suggesting that I try to destroy Camelot? Because Gaius, I think that's a really bad idea. I'm not destroying Camelot!" Merlin's voice grew louder. "I have to protect Arthur! How could you even say something like that?"

Gaius managed with effort not to roll his eyes at Merlin's antics. "Of course that's not what I'm suggesting," said Gaius. "I'm just saying that you should try to imagine the best way to destroy Camelot, so that you can predict Fred's next move.

"Oh," said Merlin, simply, relaxing. "I see."

"Good," said Gaius. "Now, think."

Merlin screwed up his eyes in concentration. This time, he tried to block himself from all distractions, and he was somewhat successful. At least this time, he was not distracted by a butterfly. Gaius knew to be completely silent while Merlin was thinking because otherwise Merlin would not be thinking for long.

A second passed. A minute. Two minutes. Five. A clock would have been ticking, but there were no clocks to tick. No, the room was dead silent. There was not even a cricket to break the silence.

"I've got it!" announced Merlin.

"Great!" said Gaius. "What have you thought of?"

"Well, if I were to overthrow Camelot," started Merlin. "I think I would go straight for the king. It would send the kingdom into chaos."

"That's all you thought of? In that much time?" Gaius said.

Merlin glared. "No, that's not all." He was silent for a moment.

"Yes?" said Gaius.

"Okay, yes, that was all," said Merlin.

Gaius blinked.

"Well, do you have any suggestions?" said Merlin.

"I think, Merlin, that you need to figure out where Fred would go."

"That would probably be helpful," considered Merlin.

"Yes," said Gaius, "so if you were trying to kill the king, where do you think you would go?"

Merlin thought for a moment. And thought. And thought.

Gaius finally took pity on him. "His chambers, of course! That's the place where Uther has the least protection."

"I see," said Merlin, although he did not see at all.

"Fred will probably hide there and attack Uther when he retires for the night," said Gaius, trying to be clearer.

"Oh!" said Merlin. He understood now. "So you think that Fred is probably hiding in Uther's chambers right now?"

"Yes, I think so," said Gaius. "It seems like the most likely possibility."

"Okay," said Merlin. "I'm going then. Now."

"Make sure you aren't seen," Gaius cautioned. "It won't look good if you're caught sneaking around in Uther's chambers."

"No, it probably wouldn't," said Merlin. He stood there for a moment, as if he had forgotten what he was doing.

"Go, Merlin!" said Gaius.

"Oh, yes, right!" said Merlin quickly, before jogging to the door.

He continued jogging down the hallway until he began to notice that people were giving him odd looks. He realized that it probably looked rather odd for him to be running, especially when he couldn't be doing anything for Arthur in such a hurry. Arthur was, after all, still at practice with the knights. Merlin carefully slowed his pace to a more sedate walk so he would not arouse suspicion.

Within minutes, he had reached the king's chambers. He gasped in surprise at the sight that appeared before him. It wasn't that startling, not really, but Merlin always had a love for the dramatic.

There was not a single guard in front of Uther's chambers. Considering the lack of security in Camelot, that was hardly surprising. Still, one would have thought there would at least be a single guard. Still, Merlin reasoned, the door must at least be locked. That would explain the lack of guards. If Uther wasn't there, well, a lock would most likely suffice. In reality, a lock would be a suitable deterrent for any thieves stupid enough to attempt to steal from the king's chambers.

Merlin, however, was not a thief, and a lock would hardly stop him. "Tospienge," he whispered, and the door unlocked with a click. He smiled. This was simply too easy. He stepped inside of the room and closed the door quietly behind him.

"Fred?" Merlin called softly. "Fred?"

There was no reply. Merlin walked slowly through the room, looking over the elaborate decorations in the chambers. The expensive furniture and intricate designs made Arthur's room look simple by contrast. If the room were compared side by side with Merlin's own, well, the difference would be ridiculous.

With a blink of his eyes, Merlin cleared his head. Now was not the time to be focusing on decorations. Now was the time to find Fred. Of course, there was always a chance that he was not here, but it seemed likely. Still, Fred was not responding to his name, and Merlin didn't see him anywhere.

There seemed to be only one way to decide once and for all if Fred was in there. That is, one way other than checking under the bed and in every nook and cranny throughout the room. That was an idea that did not appeal to Merlin, so he quickly scratched it out. That elimination left only one other idea. Magic.

Merlin pulled at his magic and felt it well up in him. He manipulated the strands, sending them away from him as his eyes flashed golden. It travelled through the air softly, reaching every surface that there was to reach, until…. Yes, Fred. Fred was in there. Merlin followed the strand slowly and found himself in front of the bed. Fred really was not particularly creative when it came to hiding spots. With a whispered word, Merlin strengthened his strands of magic and used them to pull Fred out from under the bed.

Fred yelped, startled, as he was pulled from beneath the bed. He looked up at Merlin with big eyes.

"I know what you did," said Merlin.

"Bark," said Fred.

"Don't give me that," said Merlin. "I know you're trying to destroy Camelot."

Fred tilted his head to the side, looking up at Merlin with a sad expression.

Merlin didn't blink.

"Fine," said Fred. "I'm trying to destroy Camelot."

Merlin jumped. And then blinked. And then jumped again. And then began shaking his head. "I need sleep or something, I could've sworn you just talked."

"That's because I did," said Fred.

Merlin blinked again. He looked at Fred. Fred looked back. "Wait… so you're actually talking?"

"Yes, I am," said Fred.

Merlin did not understand how that could be in anyway possible, but it was clear that Fred was in fact speaking, despite the fact that he was equipped with a snout and a face that simply did not lend itself to human speech. He should not be able to speak, but he was.

Fred shook his head at the surprised look that still was on Merlin's face. "Why is this so unbelievable to you? I'm more intelligent than you'll ever be."

Merlin sniffed. This attack on his intelligence was more than he would put up with. Only Arthur was allowed to call him stupid. Well, him and, on occasion, Gaius. "I am not stupid!"

"I didn't say that," said Fred consolingly. "I just said you weren't as smart as me."

"Oh, well I suppose that's alright then," said Merlin, before stopping for a moment. "Although, actually no, that's not okay. You are a puppy."

"Well, I'm not just a puppy," said Fred, "but I'm sure that you've figured that out by now."

"Of course!" said Merlin. "I know exactly what you are! You can't hide your true nature from me!"

"Yes?" Fred. "What is my true nature then?"

Merlin blinked. He really wasn't sure how to reply to that since he wasn't completely sure what Fred was himself. "Well," Merlin started. Then he stopped. He decided that that was a complete argument in itself.

"Exactly," said Fred. "You don't know." His puppy mouth formed an evil looking grin.

"I do, too, know!" said Merlin. "I just don't want to tell you because I don't want to tell you more than you already know. Why would I help you?"

"I think that I already know what I am," said Fred.

"I doubt that," said Merlin darkly. Since he had no real threats to make at that particular moment in time, he decided that it was best to attempt to sound intimidating through empty comments with no real meaning.

They stood in silence for a moment, facing each other.

"Well, what are you going to do?" Merlin finally said to break the awkward silence between him and the puppy.

"Why would I tell you that?" asked Fred. "I might tell you something that you don't already know."

Merlin glared, recognizing Fred's recycled use of his own words. "Trust me," he said, "I already know."

"I'm not going to trust you," said Fred. "I think you're lying."

They seemed to have reached an impasse, Merlin realized, but he didn't want to say so to the puppy. He didn't know about the puppy, and the puppy was not about to tell him.

Suddenly, Merlin realized something. "Why did you choose to start talking now?" he asked. After all, in all the time he had spent with Fred before, he never had spoken.

"Why, because you've only just now started to suspect me," said Fred. "I would have thought that it was obvious. I was hardly going to start speaking when you still thought I was a simple puppy. Now, though, there's no real reason not to. It just makes communication an awful lot easier."

"Well, if you're not just a puppy, what are you?" asked Merlin.

"I thought you already knew."

"I do, but I want to hear your explanation of it," Merlin said lightly.

Fred rolled his eyes. Merlin did not know that he could do that, but by this point, it was not really surprising. "I'm not going to tell you," said Fred. "Anyway, you'll find out soon enough."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Merlin.

"This," said Fred, as Merlin watched with shocked eyes.

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><p><strong>AN:** Cliffhanger! Come on, admit it, you're dying to find out about Fred. And next chapter, you will! In a way, it's kind of like the tension leading up to finding out about River Song. Except that it's nothing like that at all. Anyway, as I said, the next (and last) chapter will be posted in like 2 weeks, after I get home from vacation. You shall just have to wait =]. And go ahead and review because reviews are awesome! Really, really awesome.


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